Mistress Quickly was shouting. ‘Anything could have happened to you! I thought someone had kidnapped you! I looked up and down these streets and couldn’t see you! I was going to start a search party. . .
‘I’m sorry to have worried you. But as you can see, I’m alive and well,’ said Celia hurriedly. ‘I’m sorry to have left you for so long, but I just went exploring a little and—’
‘Stuff and nonsense!’ said her aunt roundly. ‘Tell fibs like that to your father if you like. He’s an innocent
18 6
soul. But I know what you’ve been up to. Snooping, eh? Chasing little hares of your own.’
Celia looked at her and decided that denial wasn’t worth the trouble. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid so, Aunt Bess. I went to call on Dr Tedeschi.’
‘Oh, I knew it was too good to be true that you’d let the men take care of things! Do you mean to say you’ve been in the Ghetto by yourself?’
‘It was perfectly safe. And I learned some very interesting things. Aunt Bess, please listen. We’ve got to get back to Dr Leone’s house straight away. Then I have to find Ned and bring him back to Dr Tedeschi’s with me. Something’s happened, something very important. Can you tell Father where we are and tell him to meet us there as soon as possible?’
‘Why don’t you tell him yourself?’
‘This is around his nap-time, isn’t it? And I can’t wait. Besides, he always asks so many anxious questions. And you’re so good at managing him, Aunt Bess.’
‘I’m not surprised he’s anxious, you’re such a trial,’ grumbled Mistress Quickly, but her colour was subsiding and she didn’t look quite as cross. ‘Very well, get in the boat and let’s be going. But I’m afraid, my dear, that you are going to have to tell me everything before we get to the house. If I am to persuade my brother into more tomfoolery, I am not going to be kept in ignorance by a chit of a girl.’ She settled herself down on the cushions and fixed Celia with a gimlet eye. ‘Begin.’
-M- 18 7-H-
It took nearly the entire way back for Celia to tell Mistress Quickly the whole story, including what had happened in Cannaregio and the Ghetto the day before. When Celia finished, she waited cautiously to see how Mistress Quickly would react.
She was silent for quite a few minutes, then said, ‘You take my breath away, Celia Margaret Ashby . 5
Oh dear ; thought Celia, she only calls me by my full name if she's realty annoyed with me .
‘You really do , 5 went on Mistress Quickly. ‘Do you realize just how madly you have behaved? You put yourself into appalling danger—and for what? So you can prove to Ned that you can do as well as he? What kind of ridiculous notion is this? This isn’t a game, Celia. This is about people’s lives. That Sarah, she removed herself from her father because she was afraid for him; she didn’t want to put him in danger while she did her little investigation. But you’ve just thought of yourself. You haven’t thought of us at all—you haven’t even imagined what it might be like for us if something happens to you!’ Her eyes glittered. ‘Have you?’
Celia faltered, ‘You . . . you don’t understand. I didn’t think that—’
‘No, you didn't think, did you? You just acted. You just did whatever you thought was best. You didn’t ask if it was best for others. Now that poor doctor and his sister are stuck with some trussed-up villain and they ’re no closer to their Sarah!’
-M- 18 8
‘It wasn’t my fault Marco came to Tartuffo—’ began Celia, annoyed, but her aunt cut her off.
‘No, it wasn’t your fault, but you didn’t improve matters, did you, with your babbling to him the day before!’
‘But how was I to know he was an informer? Besides, I did improve matters!’ snapped Celia, incensed. ‘Tartuffo was sent off with his tail between his legs and Marco can’t go running off to the Countess. And I know who the madman is, so they can talk to him and find out where his friend is! I’m sure he’s the one who’s hiding Sarah!’
‘Pish, you know nothing of the kind. Why do you believe the lies of that Marco?’
‘It’s not him, Aunt Bess! It’s the Tedeschis. They think he could be the key to Sarah’s disappearance.’
‘What use will a madman be, anyway?’ said her aunt, changing tack. ‘By their very nature, madmen can’t answer sensible questions.’
‘He may not always be mad,’ said Celia hopefully. ‘Dr Tedeschi said it was the kind of madness that comes and goes with the moon.’
‘Doctors!’ said Mistress Quickly with great scorn.
‘Well, here we are, Aunt Bess. Will you help me, or just read me lectures on my folly?’
‘Tush, the cheek of the child! You really are the limit, Celia Margaret Ashby,’ said her aunt crossly. ‘But I suppose now you have put us all on the line and there is no help for it but to continue as best we can. Yes, I will help you, but you must—’
‘Aunt Bess, you are the dearest person alive!’ said Celia, throwing her arms around Mistress Quickly’s neck and kissing her on the cheek. ‘I really am sorry for worrying you, and I’m sorry I was selfish—I didn’t mean to be— and I think you’re right, I was being too proud . . . but you do understand, this is important and I must do it.’
‘Hmm,’ said Mistress Quickly, pink again, but with pleasure this time. ‘Promise me, though, that you will be more careful in future.’
‘I promise!’ said Celia gaily. She sprang out of the boat and onto the landing-stage and ran up the steps towards Dr Leone’s house, calling, ‘Ned, Ned, where are you?’
‘Child, child, a little more decorum,’ Mistress Quickly called after her as she puffed and panted in an effort to keep up.
‘What do you mean, Ned’s gone?’ Celia had come into the hall to find Dr Leone hurrying down the stairs towards her, his mane of hair askew, his usually confident manner a little uncertain.
Now he turned to Mistress Quickly. ‘I’m sorry, signora, but there’s trouble. Real trouble. You and the young lady must follow Ned at once and get to safety.’
‘Follow Ned where?’ said Celia, bewildered, while at the same time Mistress Quickly snapped, ‘And I’ll trouble you not to order Celia and me around, Dr Leone. Where is my brother? I want to speak to him at once.’
-H- 190-H*-
‘I’m afraid that’s not possible,’ said Dr Leone. ‘You see, he—’
‘What do you mean, “not possible”? Nonsense! Is he in his room? I shall go and see him at once.’
Mistress Quickly picked up her skirts and made for the stairs.
‘I mean, he’s gone too,’ said Dr Leone helplessly.
Mistress Quickly stopped. ‘What do you mean, “gone too”?’
‘He . . .’ Dr Leone swallowed. ‘I’m afraid your brother has been kidnapped, signora.’
Mistress Quickly went chalk-white. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘Last night he was lured into an assignation with someone, but it was a trap. He was abducted.’
‘What! Why didn’t you tell us?’ cried Mistress Quickly. ‘Last night, you say! But that’s hours ago! How long have you known!’
‘Since . . . since . . . er . . . last night. We ... we are trying to find him.’
‘We? Is that where Ned’s gone, Dr Leone?’ said Celia. ‘To find him?’
‘No ... no ... He .. . Well, he wanted to tell you and Mistress Quickly last night about what happened to Mateo, but I... I persuaded him it wasn’t a good idea. I’ve sent him to the mainland, to my house in Arqua. I thought he’d be safe there. . . . You see,’ said Dr Leone in a rather small voice, as the eyes of the two women fixed
on him, ‘he saw Mateo being abducted. ... I mean, he saw the kidnappers, and so I thought he’d be . . . Well, he and Henri were both there, but Henri rather later, so I don’t think he’s in as much danger, and—’
‘But why were they there?’ said Celia blankly.
Dr Leone looked at her and gave a faint smile. ‘I believe they’d arranged a duel. By coincidence, it was at the same spot where Mateo went. Henri was late for it, which was why he didn’t see as much as Ned did.’
‘A duel?’
Dr Leone’s smile grew broader. ‘I believe—well, Henri as much as implied to me—it was over you , signorina.’
‘Me?’ Colour rushed scarlet into Celia’s cheeks. ‘But. . .’ She swallowed. ‘But if they’d fought, Ned could have been hurt, or even killed!’
‘He could, yes,’ said Dr Leone. After a short pause, he added, watching Celia carefully, As could Henri, of course.’
‘I’m sure Henri can much better look after himself,’ said Celia lightly. ‘But Ned . . . Ned rushes into things. He would swing wildly. . . .’ She blushed again. Her eyes sparkled angrily. ‘Oh, I’m going to box his ears when I see him! I’m going to really let him know what I think, and—’
‘He is a brave young man, signorina,’ broke in Dr Leone gently. ‘He tried to fight off Mateo’s attackers and was knocked out for his pains.’
-H- 192-K>
From red, Celia went pale. ‘Is he ... is he all right?’
‘Oh, yes, he’s fine. He has a hard head, this young man of yours.’
She didn’t say crossly, ‘He’s not mine' She merely said, ‘Did he want to be sent away?’
Dr Leone smiled. ‘No. He was very angry about it. He most certainly did not want to go.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Celia warmly, ‘being packed off like unwanted luggage.’
Mistress Quickly said tartly, ‘And if you think I’m going to be packed off as easily as Ned, Dr Leone, you are in for a surprise. I am not leaving here while my brother is missing.’
‘But, signora—’
‘No “but”s, sir. I am not moving. Or at least only to give whoever’s responsible for this outrage a good piece of my mind. I suppose it is that Countess person?’
‘We think so . . . ,’ said Dr Leone hesitantly. ‘Henri has gone to get his father’s help; I said that I would wait here for you and make sure you left safely.’
‘We’re not going,’ said Mistress Quickly. ‘At least, I’m not. My niece will want to go after her—-after Ned, perhaps, and bring him back. We need his help, Dr Leone.’
‘But I told you, it’s not safe for him here, now that the Countess has clapped eyes on him, and— Oh, sorry, I must tell you that too, I suppose.’ And he told them what had happened at Ca’ Montemoro.
-M- 193-H-
Celia and her aunt looked at each other. ‘We saw you,’ said Bess Quickly.
Dr Leone stared. ‘What?’
‘On the canal,’ said Celia. ‘I just knew Ned and the rest of you had gone off investigating on your own!’
‘He didn’t want to go without you,’ said Dr Leone gently. ‘It was I who told him he must not involve you.’
‘Of all the cheek!’ said Celia crossly, but with a little glow in her heart all the same. So Ned had not tried to trick her, or leave her out of things. . . . ‘There is more, Dr Leone,’ she said, and filled him in on what had happened at the Tedeschis’.
Dr Leone gave a gusty sigh. ‘Dear God, this is a tangled web and no mistake.’
‘Ned described the man in the alley, the supposed captain, as having the bearing of a soldier?’ said Celia.
‘Yes. Exactly. Either we have two lots of soldiers— some working for the Countess, some helping Sarah— or we have one. And in that case, either they’re working for the Countess, or for Sarah.’
‘If it’s Sarah’s friend, perhaps he only took Father because he was afraid he was asking too many questions and didn’t know why,’ said Celia excitedly.
‘Perhaps. That would be the best alternative, of course. But if he is working for the Countess—then he’s holding Sarah, as well as Mateo. And that means . . .’
‘It means,’ said Celia, ‘that he’s been holding Sarah
-H- 194-H-
for weeks. Why hasn’t the Countess done anything to her, in all that time?’
‘Perhaps she has,’ said Dr Leone grimly.
‘No, he can’t, because why then take Father too? It doesn’t make sense. If it’s the Countess who has arranged this, then she has simply been keeping Sarah out of circulation for some time. And there has to be a reason for that. We have to find that man and speak to him.’
‘He’ll have gone to ground,’ said Dr Leone. ‘Where do we start looking?’
‘We have to find his friend. The madman,’ said Celia. ‘I wish ... I wish Ned were here. He saw him first. He spoke to him. I only saw him passing by.’ She looked at the other two. ‘I will go and look for the madman. Will you please go back to Dr Tedeschi and tell him what has happened? He and his sister have a right to know everything.’
‘Of course,’ said Dr Leone, ‘but, my dear young lady, it is not safe for you to go hunting madmen in the streets by yourself, and—’
‘Pish!’ said Celia fiercely. ‘I’m not afraid! I’m going, and that’s that.’
‘Really, I must protest. Signora,’ began Dr Leone, turning to Mistress Quickly for support. ‘Surely you cannot allow—’
‘My niece is a determined and brave young woman,’ said Mistress Quickly tartly. ‘I should be wasting my breath if I attempted to dissuade her. She will be careful,
she has promised me that, and I do not think she will break that promise. Her heart is set on helping her father
and her young man. And frankly, I share her wish. No,
\
don’t open your mouth and protest, Dr Leone. It is decided, and that is that.’
‘I had heard Englishwomen were headstrong,’ grumbled Dr Leone, ‘but this is really beyond—’
‘We have a queen with a heart of oak and sinews of steel,’ said Mistress Quickly proudly, ‘so it is perhaps not so surprising we do not consider ourselves weak and feeble creatures.’
‘Power is not generally good for a woman,’ said Dr Leone sententiously. ‘Think of that Countess. Now, there’s an example of how power goes to the head of a woman.’
Mistress Quickly folded her arms and looked at him. ‘Women are people , Dr Leone. We’re not all good, all bad, or all indifferent. It takes all kinds to make any world. Now then, if you have stopped lecturing us on our own sex, Dr Leone, have you made up your mind: are you coming with me to the Ghetto, or must I go there on my own?’
‘My dear signora!’ he said in a scandalized tone. ‘I most certainly will accompany you. The very idea of your going alone! Besides, I have met the good doctor and know where he lives.’
‘I am sure I would find it, if Celia gave me directions,’ said Mistress Quickly primly. ‘But you may come with
19 6 ->->■
me if you wish.’ On her way to the door, sailing out like a stately galleon with Dr Leone as a lesser craft behind her, she stopped, turned, and said to Celia, ‘Good luck, my dear. And take great care. We must meet back here in an hour to report on what we have found.’
‘Yes, Aunt Bess,’ said Celia meekly, but with a big smile on her face. Clearly, Mistress Quickly had the bit between her teeth now and nothing was going to stop her! Or me, either ,; she thought defiantly. Me or Ned. Dear Ned . . . She could just imagine how angry he’d have been at being sent out of the action. And anger made him stubborn. She’d seen it often enough. So would he really have meekly done as the bossy Venetian alchemist wanted?
19 7 -H*-